Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/ – Input/output data processing – Peripheral adapting
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-16
2004-09-28
Fleming, Fritz (Department: 2182)
Electrical computers and digital data processing systems: input/
Input/output data processing
Peripheral adapting
C710S074000, C710S002000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06799230
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a peripheral device, and more particularly, to a peripheral device controlled by a predetermined higher-order device so as to operate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Personal computers include a desktop computer and a notebook computer. Here, a description will be given, with reference to the drawings, of the desktop computer and the notebook computer.
FIG.
1
A and
FIG. 1B
illustrate conventional computers.
FIG. 1A
is a perspective view of a desktop computer
1
.
FIG. 1B
is a perspective view of a notebook (personal) computer
52
.
The desktop computer
1
includes a computer body
11
, a keyboard
12
, a mouse
13
, and a display
14
. The keyboard
12
, the mouse
13
and the display
14
are connected to the computer body
11
. The computer body
11
executes programs according to commands from the keyboard
12
and the mouse
13
. The display
14
displays a screen, such as a screen showing a result of an operation performed in the computer body
11
.
FIG. 2
is a block diagram of the computer body
11
.
The computer body
11
includes a CPU (central processing unit) unit
21
, a CPU slot
22
, a system controller
23
, a memory
24
, a graphics controller
25
, an image output connector
26
, a PCI (peripheral component interconnect) bus
27
, PCI slots
28
, a bridge circuit
29
, a floppy disk drive (FDD) connector
30
, a floppy disk drive (FDD)
31
, an IDE (integrated device electronics) connector
32
, a hard disk drive (HDD)
33
, an IDE connector
34
, a CD-R/RW (compact disk-recordable/rewritable) drive
35
, ISA (industry standard architecture bus) slots
36
, a ROM (read only memory)
37
, USB (universal serial bus) connectors
38
and
39
, a power supply unit
40
, and a power supply switch
41
.
The CPU slot
22
is a slot for mounting the CPU unit
21
; thus, the CPU unit
21
is mounted on the CPU slot
22
. The CPU unit
21
mounted on the CPU slot
22
is connected to the system controller
23
. The CPU unit
21
incorporates a CPU, a secondary cache and so forth, and executes processes based on programs and data supplied from the system controller
23
.
Besides the CPU slot
22
, the memory
24
, the graphics controller
25
and the PCI bus
27
are connected to the system controller
23
. The memory
24
is composed of a RAM so as to temporarily store programs and data, and is used as a working storage.
The graphics controller
25
converts data supplied from the system controller
23
into image data of an RGB format, for example, and outputs the image data via the image output connector
26
. The image output connector
26
is connected to the display
14
. The display
14
displays a screen according to the image data from the image output connector
26
.
The PCI slots
28
and the bridge circuit
29
are connected to the PCI bus
27
. The PCI bus
27
is a high-speed bus for exchanging data among the system controller
23
, the PCI slots
28
and the bridge circuit
29
. Various PCI devices, such as a modem, an audio processing board, an image processing board, can be mounted on the PCI slots
28
.
Besides the PCI bus
27
, the floppy disk drive connector
30
, the IDE connectors
32
and
34
, the ISA slots
36
, the ROM
37
, and the USB connectors
38
and
39
are connected to the bridge circuit
29
. The bridge circuit
29
functions as a bridge for exchanging data among the PCI bus
27
, the floppy disk drive connector
30
, the IDE connectors
32
and
34
, the ISA slots
36
, the ROM
37
, and the USB connectors
38
and
39
.
The floppy disk drive
31
is connected to the floppy disk drive connector
30
. A floppy disk can be mounted and dismounted on/from the floppy disk drive
31
. The floppy disk drive
31
exchanges data with the floppy disk. The hard disk drive
33
is connected to the IDE connector
32
. The hard disk drive
33
stores an OS, programs and data.
The CD-R/RW drive
35
is connected to the IDE connector
34
. A CD-ROM disk and a CD-R/RW disk can be mounted and dismounted on/from the CD-R/RW drive
35
. The CD-R/RW drive
35
exchanges data with the CD-ROM disk and the CD-R/RW disk.
ISA devices are mounted on the ISA slots
36
. The ROM
37
stores a BIOS and a variety of setting data for starting the device. The keyboard
12
and the mouse
13
are connected to the USB connector
38
. USB devices can be mounted on the USB connector
39
.
The power supply unit
40
is supplied with a commercial power. When the power supply switch
41
is turned on, the power supply unit
40
generates a direct current power from the commercial power, and supplies the direct current power to the floppy disk drive
31
, the hard disk drive
33
and the CD-R/RW drive
35
, and also supplies a driving power to a circuit unit. The floppy disk drive
31
, the hard disk drive
33
and the CD-R/RW drive
35
are driven by the direct current power supplied from the power supply unit
40
. When the power supply switch
41
is turned off, the power supply unit
40
stops supplying the direct current power to each of the units (drives). That is, when the power supply switch
41
of the computer body
11
is turned off, the power supply to the CD-R/RW drive
35
is stopped; and when the power supply switch
41
of the computer body
11
is turned on, the power is supplied to the CD-R/RW drive
35
so that the CD-R/RW drive
35
becomes drivable.
In this course, when the OS is started upon the power supply switch
41
being turned on so that the floppy disk drive
31
, the hard disk drive
33
and the CD-R/RW drive
35
are recognized by the OS, the floppy disk drive
31
, the hard disk drive
33
and the CD-R/RW drive
35
are managed under the OS such that the floppy disk drive
31
, the hard disk drive
33
and the CD-R/RW drive
35
can be controlled by application programs on the OS.
On the other hand, when a user intends to use a CD-R/RW drive with the notebook personal computer
52
incorporating no CD-R/RW drive, an exterior CD-R/RW drive
51
needs to be used, as shown in
FIG. 1B
, for example.
The CD-R/RW drive
51
is connected to a USB connector
53
of the notebook personal computer
52
by a USB cable
54
, for example. Besides, the CD-R/RW drive
51
is driven by a direct current power generated from an alternating current commercial power by an AC adaptor
55
.
When the CD-R/RW drive
51
is connected to the USB connector
53
of the notebook personal computer
52
by the USB cable
54
, the CD-R/RW drive
51
is recognized by an OS of the notebook personal computer
52
so that the CD-R/RW drive
51
operates under management of the notebook personal computer
52
.
In such conventional personal computers as described-above, however, when a drive is recognized by an OS, the drive is controlled in operation under management of the OS; therefore, it has been impossible for the drive to be shared among a plurality of personal computers. Thus, it has not been arranged that a drive incorporated in a desktop personal computer be connected to and used by another personal computer.
Accordingly, when a user intends to use a drive with a notebook computer system, an exterior drive has had to be purchased separately, although a drive is incorporated in a desktop computer system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved and useful peripheral device in which the above-mentioned problems are eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a peripheral device having a simple structure including a unit capable of being shared among a plurality of higher-order devices by a simple operation.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, there is provided according to one aspect of the present invention a peripheral device comprising a unit controlled by a higher-order device, a plurality of interface units enabling data to be exchanged between the unit and the higher-order device, and a control unit enabling data to be exchanged between the unit and the higher-ord
Ishimori Yasuhide
Saito Shuichi
Sugiyama Sho
Anderson Kill & Olick P.C.
Chen Alan
Fleming Fritz
Lieberstein Eugene
Meller Michael N.
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